Living Arrangements

As I mentioned before, I share a house with some relatives here in the SF Bay Area. Since none of us could really afford to buy a house on our own, we decided to pool our resources instead of renting and possibly spending more. I must say home ownership is priceless, but it does have some disadvantages, like noise and privacy issues among other things.

One issue that has come up recently is the bathroom use. I really hate it when my older brother cuts into my bathroom time. Although we have two and a half baths, one is detached from our house, and hardly anyone ever uses it because it's "outside." Every day I get up at a certain time to take a shower, and that timeframe could be anywhere between 6:50 a.m. and 7:15 a.m. Barring any traffic jams, I usually get to work on time at 8 a.m.

Lately, however, my brother has had an odd work schedule in which he gets up early to arrive at work at 8 a.m. This means I would get up at 6:50 or 6:55 a.m. and he would still be showering. As a result, I was very late for work two or three times this past month because of his lack of coordination. He and I had already made arrangements and let each other know who's going to shower at what time. I've even tried getting up at 6:30 a.m. to shower before he does, but this morning, guess what? He was already in the freaking bathroom!!! I had to wait an extra seven minutes, which made me late for work, though not by much, but still late.

I feel like I'm doing my best to be accommodating, but this douchebag brother is just plain inconsiderate. So I figured I'm going to do an OCCUPY BATHROOM demonstration tomorrow morning, just cut in front of him when he's about to enter the bathroom, and stay in there for a whole freakin' hour.

What say you? What's your living arrangement like--single, living with a roommate/spouse/partner/family member? Do you run into problems living with them?

My house (or, my mother's council house, where I live ) has two toilets, and it's always amusing when I visit my uncle's because their house has only one, despite there being twice as many people living there. Never having to wait for a toilet at home means that I'm in the habit of holding it off until I really need to go, and when I'm at my uncle's I forget that it isn't wise to do that when the possibility exists that the toilet will be occupied. Waiting for a toilet - what madness is this?!

If you have 2.5 baths, is there a reason you can't just use the other one when he's in the one you normally use? I don't see why this is so hard to deal with.

Me, I try not to room with anyone unless I'm a) sleeping with them or b) I fathered them. (No, not both.)

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Everyone in the house is aware of my "bathroom schedule" in the morning. Having said that, I don't think it's right for my brother to cut in front of me when he already knows this. I'm the one who normally uses the bathroom from 6:50 - 7:15 a.m. I've already bent over backwards to accommodate him, and he should get his ass to shower at the other room.

Yeah, one of you shower before bedtime and then use the half-bath to brush your teeth, wash face, etc. in the morning. Then no one would be late.

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I keep hearing this from people, but to me I'd like to start my day with a nice, hot shower. It helps me feeling clean and fresh when I go to work. Plus, I could get sweaty just sleeping in bed overnight.

Why the hell do you have a detached bathroom? Did someone remodel an outhouse? Growing up I had to share a bathroom with my two brothers and we had a shower schedule of sorts. I would typically take my showers at night, and just stick my head under the shower for a few seconds in the morning to get rid of the bed head, and then my brothers would each take their showers. We rarely had problems.

If you have 2.5 baths, is there a reason you can't just use the other one when he's in the one you normally use? I don't see why this is so hard to deal with.

Me, I try not to room with anyone unless I'm a) sleeping with them or b) I fathered them. (No, not both.)

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Everyone in the house is aware of my "bathroom schedule" in the morning. Having said that, I don't think it's right for my brother to cut in front of me when he already knows this. I'm the one who normally uses the bathroom from 6:50 - 7:15 a.m. I've already bent over backwards to accommodate him, and he should get his ass to shower at the other room.

Yeah, one of you shower before bedtime and then use the half-bath to brush your teeth, wash face, etc. in the morning. Then no one would be late.

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I keep hearing this from people, but to me I'd like to start my day with a nice, hot shower. It helps me feeling clean and fresh when I go to work. Plus, I could get sweaty just sleeping in bed overnight.

Stop being immature about it and talk to him. Either get up early (5:30, 6, whatever) or shower at night like people have mentioned. Yes, it's inconvenient. That's part of living with someone.

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Being immature can be fun, especially if I do it out of spite to someone I care about.

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If you are getting sweaty in bed overnight, it could be that you have two many layers (Sleepwear, covers etc..) . In really hot weather (not that we get it much in the UK) I've slept more or less with a single sheet and junked the uvet due to the weather even though I use a summer one all year round.

Kestra, I don't know. I'd like to think my brother and I have outgrown pettiness. There was a time when he and I fought like cats and dogs, but that seemed like ages ago--when we were kids. As adults, we've developed mutual respect, but I have my bad days and this is probably just one of those.

MacLeod, I don't really get soaked in sweat when I'm sleeping, but I'm diabetic so I have a tendency to sweat more. I just don't feel "fresh" in the morning--bad breath, messy hair, etc.--so I can't leave the house without first taking a shower.

T'Girl, creepy idea, but I might suggest that to him if he keeps running over my shower time.

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I would like to add "Petreus' Sex Scandal" to that.

UPDATE:

I sent him a private message on Facebook, and if he doesn't get it, I'll be posting the same message on his wall.

Bro, can you please let me know what your schedule is like for the week? I used to get up at 6:55 a.m. to take a shower, but the traffic on 880 has been so bad lately. I've been late coming into work several times when I leave around 7:30. I have to leave the house no later than 7:15 so that I don't get stuck in traffic. Thanks!